A Consortium of Charities Leads by Example with an Accessible Community Website
Background
A consortium was formed by three major charities—the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), and the British Red Cross. Together, they pooled their collective expertise to drive a significant improvement in community equipment services. As part of this initiative, the consortium took over operations and initiated a redevelopment plan for the Community Equipment website. The website functions as a classified advertising platform for special needs equipment. It allows
NHS store managers across the UK to post and exchange equipment with other store managers and occupational therapists. This system promotes a more efficient provision of much needed equipment, avoiding unnecessary new purchases.
The Challenge
The consortium needed a complete overhaul of Community Equipment website. This project called for a new visual design that prioritised a high level of accessibility and usability. Additionally, they required an intuitive content management system (CMS) with simple workflow functionality. This system had to allow vendors to easily create and manage their listings, while also enabling the consortium to manage the website’s informational content.
The Solution
Our team brought extensive expertise in combining exceptional visual design with high accessibility standards to this project. We achieved the main objectives by first gaining a deep understanding of user needs, then paying close attention to detail
during the development of website templates, and finally, through rigorous testing.
We developed robust web applications for both user registration and classified advertising. Both applications were designed with a simple and easy-to-use interface, benefiting both administrators and vendors.
The website was integrated with a custom built CMS, giving the consortium full control to manage and maintain their own content.
The Result
The new Community Equipment website was launched on time and within budget. The dramatically improved accessibility and usability have enhanced the site’s performance. The new CMS has empowered the staff to easily manage and update the site, and store managers and suppliers now find the platform far more user-friendly.
Natasha Knox, Business Development Manager of RNID, shared her thoughts on the project:
“It was very important that the site met our high accessibility standards. This was one of the reasons we chose them, as they have comprehensive expertise in this area. We worked closely together throughout the project, ensuring that all aspects of the site met our technical and visual expectations, and we are very pleased with the site that has been developed.”